


Linked

by IanMuyrray



Series: Muy's OtherOutlanderTales [7]
Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander (TV), Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: F/M, Skinny Dipping, starlight
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-27 23:58:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16712527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IanMuyrray/pseuds/IanMuyrray
Summary: Young Ian takes Rachel out of the city to see the stars. A quiet, warm moment between the two of them.





	Linked

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous said: Ian and Rachel spend some time in the county.

****Roger They were in his car, heading fast out of town. Rachel was painfully aware of how close Ian’s arm came to brushing hers as he shifted from fifth to sixth gear. It was dark out, but city lights peppered the sky, casting it in an opaque grey as the car followed the curve of the highway around a shadowy bundle of rectangular buildings.

 

“I canna believe ye’ve never seen _true_ starlight,” Ian said, the corner of his mouth twitching upward into a smile.

 

“You make it seem like I’ve never been outside,” Rachel replied. “I am familiar with stars.”

 

He clicked his tongue at her and reached to give her knee a squeeze. “Not this kind.”

 

She turned in her seat to face him. Her knees parted slightly with the movement, and he hadn’t removed his hand from her knee. “Will you at least tell me where we are going?”

 

“No.”

 

“My brother will hunt you down and kill you if you murder me, you know.”

 

“I can take Denny in a fight, dinna fash about me; I thank ye for being worried.” He flashed her a grin in the dimness.

 

She laughed. “You haven’t even met Denny! How could you possibly know you’d win in a fight?”

 

He raised one eyebrow. “Because I know.”

 

“Ah. It’s instinct. I see.” Seizing any excuse to touch him, she ran a finger over the length of his inner forearm, feeling the softness of his skin and the muscle underneath.

 

“Exactly.”

 

“And you have good instincts?”

 

The hand on her leg moved, flipping over as he ran his knuckles on the outside of her thigh, causing her heart to skitter. “I do.”

 

“Hm. Well, I wouldn’t know. I’ll have to trust you.”

 

“You’ll trust me when I say I’m not a murderer?” he asked.

 

“You joke, but women actually are murdered when they go on dates with strange men.”

 

Acknowledging her point, he nodded. “So what about your instincts, then? Do you have good ones?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“So sure of yerself.”

 

“As are you.”

 

With a polite cough, Ian withdrew his hand from her leg and placed it on the gear shift. His hand was large, with long, slender fingers that complimented his tall height and lean body. Rachel placed an elbow on her car door and rested her head in her hand, knowingly mussing hair she had worked hard to smooth before he’d picked her up. For a few moments, she watched Ian drive, the glow of the dashboard reflected on him, the streetlights alternately bathing him in yellow light as they drove by. But the streetlights were growing sparse the further they drove out of the city, artificial light disappearing in the rearview mirror.

 

“How was work today?” she asked.

 

An eyebrow twitched. “Small talk, is it? When I’m taking ye into the country to see stars?”

 

“Not small talk!” she laughed. “I care about your day. How was it?”

 

“There was a park. I walked it.”

 

“That’s all?”

 

“Mostly. If ye really want details, I’m breaking in new boots.”

 

“Riveting stuff.”

 

“Oh, yeah. Miss my old ones. I hate blisters.”

 

“So what brought you into the city tonight? Isn’t it a long way from the park?”

 

“I came into the city to get you.”

 

“You didn’t!”

 

“I did.” He squared his shoulders. “When ye said earlier ye had never really seen the countryside at night, I felt obligated.”

 

“Well, the way you described it in your text made it sound like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. How could I possibly have said I’ve seen the ‘stars reflected in a lake surrounded by mountains’?”

 

He laughed, making Rachel want to laugh, too. She ran a finger lightly over his knuckles on the gear shift.

 

“So let me guess,” she continued. “We’re going to your park.”

 

“We are.” His hand grasped hers, interlocking their fingers. “I know all the good spots. It’s a clear night, too, so the view will be nice. Moonlight is its own light, ken? And starlight, too. Gives me perspective.”

 

“Perspective? That’s very romantic of you.”

 

It was a moment before he responded, but when he did, his voice was a deep timber that made goosebumps rise on her arms. “This kind of light predates fire. It makes me feel connected; to know that there is more out there than just me. Something beyond myself. Something before me, and something after.” She sensed a rising tempo of intimacy with the man she had only been seeing for a few weeks. “I need to remind myself that there is more than this, ye ken? Than city lights and traffic and noise and making money,” he went on.

 

“You’re a park ranger,” Rachel pointed out. “You spend your days doing the opposite of that.”

 

He gave her a sidelong glance. “But things are different than they used to be. I’m the oddball, working outside. If I were to take a promotion, I’d be trapped in a government office and no’ see the light of day for weeks. Except while walking the parking lot to and from my car,” he added as an afterthought. He shook his head. “I don’t like it. I don’t even pretend to like it.”

  
“No?”

 

“How can I?”

 

“Wow, small talk be damned,” Rachel remarked, making Ian laugh again. She loved when he lit up, and she loved to be the cause of it. “And, I see your point.” She bit her lip before continuing. “I think we make our own meaning in life. And you make meaning outdoors. Somehow, that doesn’t surprise me.”

 

“Oh, aye?” He squeezed her hand, his thumb a light, secret touch on the inside of her palm.

 

“I also think it’s really cool that you know that about yourself; that you’re not trying to fit into anyone’s box.”

 

He shuddered, the movement near to mocking in its delivery. “Definitely not. Do you like to be outside, Rachel?”

 

“Eh,” she drawled, nose wrinkled. “Not too often. It’s okay. As long as I have nice bug spray and I’m not too hot, I’ll manage.”

 

“City slicker.”

 

“No shame!”

 

“Bug spray is in the back,” he said, gesturing with his thumb back towards the trunk. “And it’s nighttime. Ye shouldna get hot.”

 

Much of the ride passed in silence, but with a feeling of responsive, warm company as they traveled further and further into darkness. The world outside the car window was the shape of the countryside, largely undefined and one-dimensional to her in the dark. She put their entwined hands on her lap, indicating to him that she welcomed his touch. Everything was still new between them, a delicate balance as they mapped out each other’s needs and desires.

 

She maintained their connection as they exited the highway and merged onto smaller roads, resting a gentle palm on his upper thigh. She gave a light squeeze, feeling his strong leg through the denim, feeling a pulse of thrill hum through her. He was focused on the road, but she sensed he felt the same about touch, a sense confirmed when he turned and smiled at her.

 

They didn’t pull into the main entrance of the park, but took a side road, down to a single lane with green overgrowth on either side tickling the sides of the vehicle.

 

“Will we get in trouble for this?” Rachel asked as he parked on a partially cleared shoulder bank. Her side of the car was obstructed by brush and she had to climb over and out the driver’s side. Ian held out a hand to help her.

 

“I won’t, but you might,” he joked, pulling her along and he walked. “Just… when you meet my mam…” He leaned in conspiratorially, and Rachel inhaled the smell of him; pinecones and earth and soap. “Dinna tell her about this.” And he took off, his long legs leading the way for her through the ankle-high brush and weeds. In the near distance, Rachel could make out the pitch-black outline of the mountain he had spoken of, a sharp contrast to the deep blue of the night sky.

 

“Whoa,” she said at the sight, her steps faltering as she came to a stop.

 

“I _know_ ,” he said. “C’mon, it’s even better from over here, promise.” Ian tugged at her arm, not wanting her to pause, and she had to jog a few paces to catch up with him.

 

“Hey, aren’t you a little too old to be worrying about what your mother thinks?” Rachel teased. “She can’t really do anything to you, can she?”

 

Ian rolled his eyes. “You clearly haven’t met my mother. Ye’ll understand once ye do.”

 

She warmed with the repeated reminders that he wanted her to meet his family and walked a little closer to him, dropping his hand and grasping him around the bicep. She caressed him there and leaned into his body. “And your dad? What would he say?”

 

“Ah,” Ian began, sounding like something was caught in his throat. “He wouldn’t have anything to say, I suppose. He died.” The tone of his voice was light, but there was something deeper swimming beneath, a grief lived in, but sharp.

 

Rachel stopped in her tracks, making him face her. “When?”

 

“Not long. A couple months, maybe.”

 

“That must have been around the time we met,” she said. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

 

He scoffed, but not at her. “I wanted to, but I didn’t want to scare ye off.”

 

“You wouldn’t have --”

 

“Rachel,” Ian said, “let’s not worry about it tonight, aye? There’s plenty of other time to talk about stuff like that. We have plans.” He glanced over his shoulder into the night. “Shoo, Da. Leave us be.” He shook his head. “The man canna resist being involved in everything.” Before she could respond to Ian sensing, let alone _speaking,_ to a ghost, he moved behind her and placed both hands on the small of her back, guiding her forward. There was an urgency in him, and she felt it, too. Once they would reach the lake -- his lake -- their lake? -- they could truly be together.

 

The earth was soft beneath her feet, and she didn’t worry about losing her footing since Ian clearly had the ground memorized. He wouldn’t lead her astray. Through the bramble and after climbing over a large boulder, they eventually found themselves on the shore of a small lake, the silhouette of a mountain draping the perimeter.

 

Rachel stared in awe up at the stars. There were millions of them-- little white pinpricks in the fabric of the atmosphere.

 

She looked over and found him watching her. He had been right about the moonlight; it was ancient and mystical; your eyes adjust and you see exactly what you need to see, unaided by modern conveniences. She could see the silver and blue shapes of him.

 

“Ian,” she breathed, her eyes dancing. “I had no idea this could be so beautiful.”

 

His face lit up. “Isn’t it?” She felt a rippling cascade down her spine that told her he wasn’t talking about the stars. But then he looked away. “Makes me believe in God.”

 

She raised an eyebrow. “You don’t?”

 

“No, no, I do,” he backpedaled, and knelt to untie his shoes. “This,” he said, waving a nonchalant hand at the beauty above them, “makes me believe in everyone else’s God, too.”

 

“What do you mean?” She toyed with the cross necklace she wore, something small to keep her faith close at hand. The edges of the sterling silver pendant were smooth where she regularly rubbed it with her thumb. An absent touch of prayer.

 

“Only that I do think there are lots of Gods, who are real to different people for different reasons.”

 

She waited.

 

He clearly did not intend to elaborate, but seeing the look on her face made him change his mind. Ian sighed. “I don’t think any one religion is more right than others. There’s some truth to all of them, I think.” He considered her carefully.

 

“But you’re Catholic,” she pressed, as if that alone would end the argument.

 

He smirked. “Only kind of.”

 

“ _What_ are you doing?” He had stripped off his shirt and tossed it to the ground and began unbuttoning his jeans.

 

“What?” he replied with a lopsided smile. He didn’t stop his undressing, though, and by the time Rachel had recovered from her astonishment he was completely naked. “Take off yours, too; we’re going swimming.”

 

“No, we’re not!” she cried, disbelieving.

 

“Fine, I’ll enjoy it all on my own, then?” He gave her a devilish grin and skipped toward the water, pert white buttocks bouncing in the moonlight. She could hardly tear her eyes from his bare body -- how it was perfectly molded, a flawless blend of hard and soft, smooth and rough. His movements were languid, like a big cat, and he entered the black water with a splash, causing ripples to run outward, waves lapping upon the shore. He disappeared for a moment under the water and then popped back up, wiping his dark hair back from his eyes. The water was about waist high where he stood, a sheen of wetness on him emphasizing the lines of his chest, shoulders, and face in a way that called Rachel to him.

 

“You’re crazy,” she hollered out to him, but her fingers found their way to the hem of her shirt. At the sound of his laugh, she whipped the shirt over her head before she could second-guess herself. Completely driven by impulse, she was out of her clothing and shoes, wearing nothing but her bra and panties as she began to wade out to him. She paused with her ankles in the cool water, the sand soft on the bottoms of her feet, the moonlight warm and welcoming. It was safe here, an honest space, as if the mysticism of all the world’s religions combined met in this central space. The rest of the world was suspended outside.

 

“Nuh-uh,” she heard Ian’s voice. “Take it all off.”

 

“What?”

 

“All of it. Off.”

 

She laughed, a bit nervously.

 

“That way you have dry clothes after, and ye don’t soak through. That is, if ye want.”

 

“Promise not to look?”

 

“I’ll see ye eventually,” he replied, speaking aloud what they both knew was the next step for them. Maybe not this moment, maybe not tonight, but if she kept her clothes on-- he _would_ see her naked eventually. She wanted him to. “Ye want me to spend the whole night with my back to ye?”

 

“No,” she laughed again. “You’re right, it’s fine.” She stepped back onto shore and clumsily removed her undergarments. Surprisingly, she didn’t feel as nervous as she thought she would, stepping back into the water naked. Ian did have his back to her, but as she approached, she said, “You can look, Ian.” She reached out a tentative hand to touch his shoulder blade.

 

He turned, slowly, his eyes floating over her for just a moment before meeting her gaze. “Ye’re verra lovely, lass,” he said, his voice a bit rough. He placed an arm around her shoulders and they looked above the mountain at the sky. She snaked an arm about his waist and leaned into him, his body cool and damp, but she caught a tremor of heat humming through him. She shivered.

 

“You could say that about yourself. You’re very lovely looking, too.”

 

He shifted his stance, planting a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Dinna let Wee Ian hear that, he’ll get ideas,” he spoke into her hair, his breath warm on her skin.

 

“ _Wee_ Ian?” she repeated, a smile breaking out.

 

“ _Aye_. It’s a nickname, that’s all.”

 

“Who calls -- it -- that? You?”

 

“No one calls _it_ anything,” he quipped. “Was merely trying to make a joke and move along but if ye _want_ to meet my cock--”

 

“No!” His eyebrows shot up at that, a smile on his face, making her thankful that the silvery depth of moonlight likely concealed her flush -- or maybe it didn’t. She waved a dismissive hand. “Another time, maybe.”

 

She rested her head on his shoulder, heedless of the dampness against her hair, her eyes tracing the millions of stars. It was deceptively easy, at this moment, to be in each other’s company. As if the stars aligned into a constellation all their own.

 

The colors of the sky rolled into each other with unfathomable depth-- she saw rich purple, a fluid noir, a breathtaking indigo. They swirled together, clear and blended, accentuated by the varying degrees of starlight. She swore she could see galaxies and nebulas, could sense the unimaginable space beyond the small piece of earth she shared with Ian. She sighed, reveling in the delicious slow down of time that suggested only good things. There were the usual sounds of the night, but they faded away into a humming euphony of grace, supplemented by the beautiful visual. The warm water, the nakedness, Ian, starlight--

 

“So what do ye think?” he asked, after a moment.

 

She had no words to convey her feelings, only physical expression. She grasped him and pulled him kneeling into the water with her, where the lake lapped at their shoulders and necks. In a synchronized movement, she came to sit on his lap, and he held her body to his as she kissed him. Their touches were gentle and sensual, sending burning sparks throughout her. She was floating through space, Ian with her. They broke apart, a bit breathless and overwhelmed, a bit frenzied. Rachel steadied her breathing, counting breaths and heartbeats, descending back into her body. But she didn’t let go of Ian.

  
“Thank you,” she whispered.

 

“Thank you,” he said back to her, and kissed her again.


End file.
